Euroscaptor darwini sp. nov., a new species of mole (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla, Talpidae) from the north-central mountains in Vietnam

Le résumé fourni par la source

A new species of fossorial mole (Eulipotyphla, Talpidae, Euroscaptor) is described from Pu Luong Nature Reserve, north-central Vietnam, based on distinct genetic and morphological characteristics. The species inhabits a geographically small and isolated upland patch (900–1100 m a.s.l.), sharply bounded by a nearly vertical escarpment. The new taxon is diagnosed by an extremely reduced tail both externally and osteologically, comprising only six or seven caudal vertebrae, the lowest number documented in the genus to date. The species differs further from known congeners in Southeast Asia by its slender cranium, narrow rostrum, elongated inner zygomatic arches, and significantly smaller anterior dentition. Phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial Cyt b gene indicate genetic distances of 5.41–6.35% from its closest relative, E. subanura, and clarify the evolutionary placement of the species within the genus. Multivariate analyses of 36 craniodental measurements identified key variables contributing to interspecific differentiation among Vietnamese moles, including breadth between infraorbital foramina, length of zygomatic arch, upper incisor–canine length, premolars length, and lower incisor–canine length. Specimens from the type locality show that females are larger than males. The discovery of this new Euroscaptor species currently raises the total number of recognized species in the genus to eleven worldwide and brings the number of fossorial mole species recorded in Vietnam to six. It highlights both the underestimated mammalian diversity of Vietnam and the importance of continued integrative surveys in montane landscapes, where micro-endemic and evolutionarily distinct taxa remain insufficiently documented and vulnerable to environmental change.

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